Trai issues consultation paper on Mobile VAS regulation

"With a view to bring out all the aspects of the relevant issues and to provide a suitable platform for discussion, Trai has initiated this consultation paper suo-motu, focusing on future looking regulatory framework for provisioning of Mobile Value Added Services (VAS)," the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said in a statement.

It had sent one set of recommendations, "Growth of Value Added Services and Regulatory Issues", to the Government on February 13, 2009.

The authority had recommended that telecom operators give uniform access to infrastructure to VAS providers through mutual agreements, and stressed upon the need to publish charges for VAS, maintain transparency in billing.

Trai has also said that there is no need for licence or registration for VAS providers. These recommendations are yet to be accepted by the government.

Since those recommendations, there has been 3G and BWA spectrum auctions and the telecom industry has seen various developments.

Keeping that in mind, Trai feels that there is a need to develop a forward looking harmonised framework for ushering growth in all the segments of VAS -- content development, technology platforms, content aggregation and so on.

"A well developed framework will enable benefits to consumers, promote entrepreneurship and at the same time create additional revenue streams for the service providers" the Trai paper has said.

Last date for comments from the stakeholders is August 12 and for counter-comments, August 19.